Display-case.



G. H. AMEND.

DISPLAY CASE.

APPLICATION FILED APR-flQi. I911.

Patented Aug. 20, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

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G. H. AMEND.

Dl SPiAY CASE.

APPLICATION FI LED APR-16.191].

l yfifiu Patentw Aug. 20, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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ens H. AMEND, or DES MOINES, IOWA.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Au 20, 1918.

Application filed April 16, 1917. Serial No. 162,482.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that 1, Gus H. AMEND, a citizen of the United States, residing in Des Moines, county of Polk and State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful, improvement in Display-Cases, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide an improved construction for display cases.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved sanitary device for displaying vegetables such as potatoes, turnips and the like and also for displaying package goods.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved sanitary device in which loose vegetables may be displayed in certain skeleton-floor compartments having glass fronts and in which package goods, or meats and other goods on trays or in pans, may be also displayed in glass-covered compartments, all of such goods being vislble to patrons or prospective customers 111 front of the case.

A further object of this 'inv'entionis to provide an improved construction for a glazed display compartment.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of elements hereinafter set forth, pointed out in my claim and illustrated by the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is an end elevation of my im-' proved display case, dotted lines indicating the position of an intermediate inclined par- Fig. 2 is a front elevation of a portion of the case. Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the case, the skeleton racks comprising the inclined partition being shown by dotted lines. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section, on an enlarged scale, on the line 4 i of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a plan of one of the skeleton rack members detached, and Fig. 6 a side elevation of same.

In the construction of the device as shown a base member is formed with a top 10 supported by end members 11, 12, narrower at their tops than at their bottoms, a lower, vertically arranged front wall portion 13 and an inclined upper wall portion 14 connecting said straight portion to the top 10. The top 10 preferably is at approximately the ordinary showcase height, and the case may be of any desired length. Each end wall 11, 12 preferably is formed with a rectangular panel 15 and a trapezoidal panel shown in detail in Fig. 5.

16. The case so formed is open at its rear side, except as hereinafter described, and is divided into con'ipartments by transversely arranged vertical partitions 17, 18, which also serve to assist in supporting the top 10. The case also preferably is open at its bottom, the supporting surface forming the bottom for said case. The straight lower front wall 13 preferably is formed with a row of opaque panels 19, while the inclined upper wall 14 is formed with a row of glazed, transparent panels 20, said rows of panels being separated by horizontal panel bands 21. A frieze 22 extends lengthwise of the rear of the case approximately midway between the bottom and the top 10, and said frieze preferably is mortised in the rear margins of the end walls 11, 12 and the partitions 17, 18. A purlin 23 extends lengthwise of the case and is fixed to the rear side of and adjacent the top of the vertical front wall member 13 and also connects the forward margins of the end walls 11, 12 and partitions 17, 18. A cleat 24 is fixed to the forward face of the frieze 22,- and extends lengthwise of the case, at a greater elevation than the purlin 23 but yet spaced below the top of said frieze. The spaces between the upper portions of the end walls 11, 12 and panels 17, 18 may be divided into compartments by short partitions 25 extending downwardly from the top 10 to the inclined plane defined by the purlin 23 and cleat 24, by means of which a compartment may be formed correspond ing to each and having for its front one of the glazed panels 20.

A plurality of skeleton racks are provided to form the floors for the upper compartments, one of said skeleton racks being Each skeleton rack is formed of bars-26 slightly spaced apart and connected near their ends by cleats 27. Each rack so formed is adapted to be removably and replaceably mounted in, and form the bottom for, an upper compartment, between partitions 25-17 or 2518 and end walls 11 or 12 and partitions 25. The racks are supported by end portions of the bars 26 resting on the purlin 23 and the cleat 24, thus forming inclined, slatted bottoms for the compartments. The skeleton racks are adapted to support vegetables such as potatoes, turnips, carrots or the like, and any dirt, etc., displaced from such vegetables While in the compartments will fall I through the spaces between the bars 26 to the floor, from which it may be swept up as desired. The inclined position of the skeleton racks for the vegetables causes them to roll or fall toward the front of the compartment at all times to furnish a display through the glazed panels 20, so that no matter what the quantity of substance in each compartment, the greater portion thereof will be near the front of the compartment where it may be seen by prospe tive purchasers. In such position also the vegetables or fruit are farther from the influence of and contact with dirt or dust from outside the case. The skeleton racks may be removed frequently for washing or otherwise cleansing them, so that the compart ments may be kept in sanitary condition.

Boxes or crates of goods may be kept in the larger lower compartments if desired, or baskets or sacks of fruits and vegetables from which the supply in the various upper compartments may be replenished from time to time.

A superposed, sanitary, glass-inclosed display compartment or case also is provided and mounted on the top 10. To form a framework for this structure brackets 27 are mounted in spaced relation on the top 10 and secured by lag screws 28, and said brackets may be cast or molded or formed of angle iron by bending. In this instance I have illustrated four of the brackets 27, but any number may be employed depending upon the length of the case. Each bracket 27 is formed with an upright member 29, preferably adjacent thefront margin of the top 10, a rearwardly projecting foot 30 resting on and secured to said top,

and a rearwardly projecting arm 31 parallel with and spaced from said top. A top 32, preferably formed of plate glass, is mounted on and'supported by the arms 31 of the several brackets 27. A front wall 33 is mounted against the forward sides of the vertical portions 29 of the brackets 27, and secured as hereinafter described. End walls 34, 35 are mounted against the outer faces of the endmost brackets 27. As shown in Fig. 4, the brackets 27, or at least the vertical members 29 thereof, are angular in cross-section, the front wall 33 being in contact with one flange and an end wall in contact with the other flange thereof. Felt strips 36 may be interposed between the brackets 27 and the walls 33, 34, 35, it being understood that these walls preferably are of glass. An angle 37 is mounted against the outer margins of the adjacent walls, as 33 and 34 in Fig. 4, and felt strips 38 may be interposed between said angle and said walls. The angles 37 are apertured at intervals, and the inner angles 29 are formed with registering threaded apertures, screws 39 being passed through the apertures of the outerangles and seated in the threaded apertures of the inner angles, it being understood that suflicient space is left between the margins of the adjacent walls '33, 34 to permit the passage of said screws therebetween, a clearly shown in Fig. 4. Thus the walls of the upper structure are securely held together. The top wall 32 may be held at its ends by angles 40 secured to the upper arms 31 of the brackets 27 The upper structure thus formed of glass is open at its rear side for access by the clerks, and is adapted to contain piles or displays of packaged goods, or trays or pans containing meat, fish and the like, which goods are practically protected by the glass walls from access of dust and dirt and yet completely displayed to persons at the front or ends of thecase. V

The protection of the frieze 22 above the cleatt24 affords a stop for the skeleton racks and prevents accidental rearward displacement of said racks.

I claim as my invention- A display case consisting of a front wall having an opaque lower section and a transparent upper section, a rear wall, a false bottom extending from adjacent the line of juncture between said sections to said rear wall to divide the case into an upper and a lower compartment, said false bottom affording a vegetable supporting surface and being arranged at an incline so that the vegetables will gravitate toward the transparent upper section and being foraminous so that extraneous matter may gravitate through and below the false bottom and be concealed by the opaque section, said rear wall being open both above and below the false bottom so as to allow free access to the vegetable and dirt compartments formed by the false bottom.

- GUS H. AMEND.

Copies 0! this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

